The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-10-08
WHITE SLAVES.
A Horrible Story Of the Hawaiian
Sugar Plantation.

Benedict, a waiter in n Main street
restaurant, only reached this city a
few days ago. He has just escaped
from life of slavery that is, ac-
cording to his history, a hundred
times more severe in every respect
than were the old slavery days be-
fore the war. Learning of this fact,
a Times reporter looked him up
yesterday and drew out the follow
ing statement, which was told in a
straightforward manner that can
not be disbelieved
"Almost six years ago." began
Mr.. Benedict, 81 was a waiter in a
San Francisco restaurant, when /
was taken sick, and the doctors
who attended me told me that l
would have to go away from San
Francisco fogs unless l wanted to
die with consumption. The first
day that l was able to be out l
walked down to the water front and
was watching the ships discharge,
when stranger approached and
asked me to take a walk. After
having a little conversation with
me he learned that | wished to
leave the city and he told me that
he was friendly with a number of
people in Honolulu, and that he
was confident that l could get work
as soon as | reached the Islands.
He told me that he represented a
certain firm, and was confident that
l could get free passage to the is
lands if would go. l met him
the next day and he informed me
that he had secured thirteen others
who would go, and he introduced
me to several of them. They also
thought it good chance to get out
of California for n while, and l
consented to go. We sailed on a
schooner, under a man named N.Y.
ers, and were treated like regular
passengers for a few days, or until
we all got over our seasickncss,
when Captain Myers came around
one day with a big blank book in
his hands. He asked us our true
names, place of birth, age, and what
occupation we had followed. We
thought livery strange proceedings,
but said nothing, although we were
greatly troubled. When we reached
the islands we did not go into port
but stopped outside. A steam
launch was alongside, and a man
who represented himself to be a
doctor came on board. He and the
captain were closeted for quite a
while, when the doctor came aft
and gave each one of us medical
examination. The captain and the
doctor then left the ship and a few
hours later we weighed anchor, and
for two days we were sailing in and
out among the islands. Finally we
were landed at large sugar plan
tation and given to understand that
we were to work in the field. We
learned the next day that the plan
tation was owned by two men who
were considered the hardest task,
masters on the islands. We were
told that we had been employed
through the captain, and that we
were to get $50 Il month each. We
hesitated about going to work at
first, but the foreman talked very
nice to us, and after we had worked
a month we went to the foreman s
office to draw our pay. Here we
were Mortified to find that we had
been sold to the sugar planters as
slaves at so much a head, and that
it would take us just three years tc
buy our freedom, if we worked
every day. We were credited with
25 cents a day when we worked
and when we were too sick to work
they charged Us IS cents a day fol
board. They paid SO much for us
and we had to work our freedom
out at the rate of % cents a day
and under the laws of the island
we agreed to this contract the first
day we worked-as going to work
of our own free will signitied that
we were willing to work for the
planters for our passage to the
islands. Well, we made a hare
kick against such treatment, but
there was no help for it, as the
plantation was guarded by a com
pany of native soldiers, who were
only too willing to shoot a white
slave who attempted to escape.
"When we refused to work. WI
were placed in the stocks and whip
ped until the blood streamed of
our backs. When a man wanted Il
Law off, because of sickness, q plan
tation doctor is called in, and if thu
doctor says he is not sick the poo
fellow is either whipped or killed.
have known them to take q mar
out and shoot him because ne coult
not work. A man was taken vio
lently sick one day, but the docto
said he was all right and the over
seer made him 60 to the field. III
struggled along until about noon
when he dropped down dead. W.
i lnV n